# Dispatcher Assistant

{% updates format="full" %}
{% update date="2026-05-01" %}

## Product Overview

* **Digital Worker Name:** Dispatcher Assistant 1.O
* **Release Version:** Q1 2026
* **Release Date:** 1 May 2026

### **What's New**

This release introduces the Dispatcher Assistant Digital Worker, a new autonomous worker designed to manage appointment disruptions and priority changes end‑to‑end with minimal dispatcher intervention. 

It helps service teams respond faster to changing conditions by interpreting customer and system signals, identifying the best next actions, and driving resolution workflows across automated and human-assisted scenarios.  

Human intervention is brought in only when policy, confidence thresholds, or operational constraints require it, ensuring the process remains controlled, traceable, and operationally efficient. 

#### What’s new at a glance: 

* **Customer Exception Parsing & Intent Detection** interprets incoming customer and system-generated signals to identify appointment issues and required actions.  
* **Slot Discovery & Optimization** uses Planning & Scheduling Optimization (PSO) logic to identify suitable appointment alternatives while ensuring resource/skill availability and SLA adherence.  
* **Appointment Renegotiation & Customer Communication** supports multi-iteration customer negotiation through automated email communication.  
* **Appointment Priority Change Management** enables individual or bulk reprioritization of appointments in response to regional events such as weather disruptions or area-wide outages.  
* **Dispatcher Support** provides controlled human-in-the-loop escalation for approvals, overrides, and exception handling.  
* Built for bulk disruption scenarios with end-to-end auditability and traceable decision logs. 

### Changes in Product Offering

<details>

<summary>New or Enhanced Functionality</summary>

This release introduces the Dispatcher Assistant Digital Worker as a new capability in the IFS Loops ecosystem, designed to autonomously manage appointment disruptions and priority changes at scale.&#x20;

The digital worker delivers intelligent exception detection, optimized slot discovery, automated appointment renegotiation, and dispatcher‑driven priority change management, including bulk updates triggered by regional or large‑scale events. &#x20;

</details>

<details>

<summary>Deprecated Functions</summary>

Not applicable.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Removed Functions</summary>

Not applicable.

</details>

### Release Scope & Constraints&#x20;

This section outlines the supported operational scenarios, known limitations, and processing considerations for the Dispatcher Assistant Digital Worker in this release.

#### Supported Scenarios

The digital worker supports automated and human‑assisted handling of appointment disruptions with the following characteristics:&#x20;

<details>

<summary>Appointment Management Scope</summary>

* Individual and bulk appointment renegotiation scenarios&#x20;
* Dispatcher‑initiated priority change management for impacted appointments&#x20;
* Region‑wide or situational priority updates (e.g., weather events, area‑wide outages)&#x20;

</details>

<details>

<summary>Customer Communication Channels</summary>

* Automated customer negotiation via email&#x20;
* Confirmation and rebooking communication through email workflows&#x20;

</details>

<details>

<summary>Human‑in‑the‑Loop &#x26; Control</summary>

* HITL escalation and approvals via Microsoft Teams&#x20;
* Conversational interaction for manual overrides, priority adjustments, and exception handling&#x20;
* Full auditability of decisions, actions, and outcomes&#x20;

</details>

#### Known Limitations & Edge Cases&#x20;

The following scenarios are either not supported or may require additional handling in this release:&#x20;

* Voice‑based customer negotiation &#x20;
* Advanced PSO simulations&#x20;
* Omni‑channel orchestration beyond email (for example, SMS or portal-native conversations)&#x20;
* Bulk exceptions may experience variable processing times in high‑volume situations.&#x20;

### Prerequisites

This section outlines the customer‑side prerequisites that must already be in place to successfully set up and use the Dispatcher Assistant Digital Worker.&#x20;

These prerequisites are in addition to any configuration performed within IFS Loops.&#x20;

#### Supported Versions&#x20;

**IFS Cloud Compatibility:**

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="266.46875"></th><th width="89.921875"></th><th width="82.61328125"></th><th width="83.6015625"></th><th width="78.44921875"></th><th width="78.63671875"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td><strong>Version</strong> </td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Feature</strong> </td><td><strong>26R1</strong> </td><td><strong>25R2</strong> </td><td><strong>25R1</strong> </td><td><strong>24R2</strong> </td><td><strong>24R1</strong> </td></tr><tr><td>Customer Exception Parsing &#x26; Intent Detection </td><td><ul><li></li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td></tr><tr><td>Slot Discovery &#x26; Optimization </td><td><ul><li></li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td></tr><tr><td>Appointment Renegotiation &#x26; Customer Communication </td><td><ul><li></li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td></tr><tr><td>Appointment Priority Change Management </td><td><ul><li></li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td>x</td><td>    x </td><td>x </td></tr><tr><td>Dispatcher Support </td><td><ul><li></li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td><td><ul><li> </li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table>

#### Technical Prerequisites&#x20;

To enable automated appointment disruption handling and human‑in‑the‑loop workflows, customers must have the following technical setup in place:&#x20;

* Email connector configured for outbound/inbound customer communication&#x20;
* Collaboration channel (e.g., Microsoft Teams) set up for HITL exception handling and dispatcher communication.&#x20;
* Appropriate IFS Cloud components and APIs assigned to the service user permission sets for that digital worker identity, including:&#x20;

**IFS Cloud Components & Permission Sets:**

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="124.78125"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Component</strong> </td><td><strong>API Name</strong> </td></tr><tr><td>SVCSCH </td><td>SvcschScheduleExceptionHandling </td></tr><tr><td>SVCSCH </td><td>SvcschAppointmentBookingHandling </td></tr><tr><td>REQMGT </td><td>RequestTaskHandling </td></tr><tr><td>SVCSCH </td><td>AppointmentService </td></tr></tbody></table>

#### IFS Cloud Basic Data Prerequisites&#x20;

The following IFS Cloud master and transactional data must already be configured and maintained by the customer to support automated processing:&#x20;

* Service user configured with required company, site, and service organization access&#x20;
* Service resources and crews&#x20;
* Skills and competency definitions&#x20;
* Service‑level agreements (SLAs) and priority rules&#x20;
* Scheduling calendars, availability, and operational constraints&#x20;

This data is required to enable effective slot discovery, PSO‑based optimization, and accurate exception resolution.&#x20;
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